


Cobwebs and Dust Bunnies

by animi



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, Levi Has OCD (Shingeki no Kyojin), M/M, OCD, Romance, germaphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26375446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animi/pseuds/animi
Summary: Levi liked things neat. His partner... not so much.
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 4
Kudos: 87





	Cobwebs and Dust Bunnies

Levi had realized it would become a problem when he first found himself in Erwin's office for a briefing before a mission, long before the two had started dating. While Erwin went on about titans and strategies and secrets, Levi was more concerned with the stacks of papers on his desk--those messy, disorganized pages of god-knows-what. "Levi... Levi, are you paying attention?" 

Levi took a slow breath and blinked as he looked at Erwin, then nodded ever so slightly. "Yes, Commander. My apologies." 

"...Right." Erwin said, unconvinced, before continuing to go over the information Levi needed to know for the mission. 

~~~

From that day on, Levi made every attempt to avoid Erwin's office. He insisted that any and all meetings be held somewhere else - which made for some interesting conversations, because, "Levi, there is absolutely no reason for us to meet in the /stables/." 

But, despite Erwin's frustration, Levi's plan had worked thus far. But, of course, it wouldn't last. 

"Levi, may I speak with you in my office?" Erwin had asked him one day after Levi and the rest of the scouts had finished eating dinner. Levi tensed. Not that godforsaken office. 

"...Perhaps we should meet somewhere else, commander. The weather is nice enough to even sit outside." 

"Levi..." Erwin sighed. "My office. Please." The commander turned and walked away before waiting for a response, leaving Levi with no choice but to follow behind him to his office. 

The office was somehow worse than before. Not only had the stacks of papers gotten out of hand, but there was dust in every corner of the room, and even on the books on Erwin's shelf. Levi bit down on the inside of his cheek and forced himself to look at the commander, who had sat down in his chair and was eyeing Levi with concern. "...Everything alright, Levi?" 

"Yes, Commander." Levi said firmly. "What is it you wanted to speak with me about?"

"Levi... God, I'm no good at this." He groaned, running his hands over his face. "Look, I know this isn't the ideal... Situation, for all this." Erwin gestured vaguely. "But- we've gotta live while we still can, right? And-... Levi, as unprofessional as it may be, I have feelings for you." He paused, and was met with silence from Levi. "As in, romantic feelings." Erwin added in a small voice, looking at Levi to try and gauge his reaction. Levi was staring past Erwin, his eyes fixated on something in the corner of the room. "Uh-... Levi?" 

"Cobwebs." Was all Levi said in response.

"I-... What?" 

"Erwin Smith, you've allowed cobwebs to form in your office." Levi remained still for a moment before turning to leave the office in pursuit of cleaning supplies. 

"Levi! Wait!" Erwin nearly shouted, standing to follow Levi. Thankfully, Levi had stopped before reaching the door, and he turned to face Erwin. 

"...Yes?" 

"Did you... Were you listening to a word I said?" 

Levi hummed to himself. "Yes. Feelings. Romance. And... Such." He inhaled sharply through his teeth, making a soft 'tch' noise. "If you're asking to court me, Erwin, my answer is yes. Now, please excuse me, I'm going to go get supplies to clean up your poor excuse for an office." and with that, Levi turned and left, leaving Erwin standing in his office, dazed. 

~~~

After they started dating, the state of Erwin's office wasn't much of an issue. Their relationship helped Levi to become comfortable telling Erwin that it bothered him, and Erwin, ever the gentleman, never again forced Levi to be in his office. 

Of course, that's not to say Erwin's tendency towards messiness didn't cause problems. 

"Levi, do you want to move in with me?" He'd asked late one night as they laid together in Levi's bed, Levi's back pressed against Erwin's chest, with his arms holding Levi tightly, simply relishing the feeling of closeness and getting ready to fall asleep. 

Levi laughed. Honest-to-god laughed out loud. "Absolutely not, Erwin." 

"Ah." Erwin sighed softly. "...May I ask why not?" Erwin asked. He, of course, wanted to respect Levi’s wishes, but to be rejected outright like that… well, it hurt.

Levi rolled his eyes, but smiled ever so slightly. "C'mon, Erwin, no need to sound so hurt." He turned to face his partner and planted a brief kiss on his cheek. "You know that I'd love to spend every moment with you. I'd just rather not spend every moment in the clutter you call a home." 

"Hm. Fair enough." Erwin nodded a bit, although his disappointment was evident. 

"Mm. I'm glad you understand. Now, let me get some sleep." Levi pulled himself tighter to Erwin's chest and made himself comfortable, then hummed contentedly when he felt Erwin press a soft kiss to the top of his head. 

"Of course. Sleep well, my love." 

~~~ 

Despite rejecting Erwin's offer of moving in, Levi began gradually spending more and more time in Erwin's home. Being a commander certainly had its perks, and having more than just the nearly empty bedroom that was provided to all the scouts was certainly one of them. Erwin's home had much more space, with a bed big enough to comfortably accommodate both Erwin and Levi, as well as a fully-functioning kitchen and dining room. And, Levi's favorite amenity- a restroom. As in, being able to shower with some semblance of privacy. 

But, well, with that much space came that much more to clean, which Erwin clearly wasn't a fan of. So, while Levi certainly enjoyed Erwin's company, that wasn't his only reason to come visit. He would spend time with his partner, and when Erwin had to leave for some meeting or to do some paperwork or anything else that occupied the man, Levi would get to work. He'd organize paperwork, file away old paperwork from years ago, wash, fold, and organize laundry, organize books, scrub the floors... Just about anything to make the place liveable by Levi's standards. 

It took Erwin a while to realize what Levi was doing, even though, in hindsight, it should have been obvious. Erwin helped where he could, but Levi never seemed satisfied with his work, and he always felt the need to re-organize, re-clean, re-polish. He assured Erwin that his help was appreciated, though, and Erwin felt a strange sense of pride in being able to help, even though he knew he wasn't really helping much at all. 

It took weeks to get the place to a decent enough state for Levi to be pleased. It was still far from perfect- he'd still occasionally take a breath and catch some lingering dust up his nose, which would make him sneeze (which, according to Erwin, was the cutest sound to ever be made within the three walls). Still... The house was in a much better state than it had been before Levi had begun, and he had deemed it good enough. 

"Erwin." Levi began one night, his head resting in Erwin's lap as he read one of those thick history books he seemed to enjoy.

"Mm-hm?" Erwin hummed, not looking up from his book.

"I've changed my mind."

Erwin looked up from his book, an eyebrow raised. "About what?" 

Levi smiled faintly, meeting Erwin's gaze. "Moving in with you." 

"...You're sure? I mean- you've got the place looking nice, but you know it's not gonna stay this way forever, I just don't... Worry about that stuff as much as you do." 

Levi rolled his eyes. "Shut up, shithead, you wanted me to move in with you, and I'm going to." He smirked, before teasing, "It's too late for you to get rid of me now."


End file.
